Feb 9, 2022

AAS Picks Six New Winners

All-America Selections has announced six new national and regional  winners that brokers, growers and retailers can still add to their 2022 product mix. Breeder contacts are included in each winner description below.

All AAS Winners are trialed throughout North America by professional, independent, volunteer judges who grow new, never-before-sold entries next to comparisons that are considered best-in-class. Only those entries that have superior garden performance, better than the comparisons, are granted the AAS award designation.

The newest AAS Winners are:

• Celosia ‘Flamma’ Orange (National)
• Pepper ‘Quickfire’ F1 (National)
• Torenia ‘Summery Love’ Pure White F1 (Regional)
• Verbena ‘Beats’ Purple+White (National)
• Verbena bonariensis ‘Vanity’ (National)
• Zinnia ‘Queeny’ Lemon Peach (Regional)

Each of the newer AAS Winners are, or soon will be, featured in custom videos that can be found in social media posts and on the AAS YouTube channel.

AAS Ornamental from Seed Winner — National Winner  

Celosia ‘Flamma’ Orange 

Get ready to bring some fiery orange color to your garden with ‘Flamma’ (“The Flame”) celosia. This compact variety has numerous branches, each with a strong flower plume, as well as secondary blooms, which give a long show of color in the garden.  AAS Judges were impressed with the superior garden performance and how well it stood  up to hot, humid and rainy conditions during the trial season. Not only does ‘Flamma’ have exceptional heat tolerance but also stuns with its early flowers that won’t fade. Whether you decide to grow this in beds or in containers (it was trialed in both) you will have a great show of orange color all season long.

Bred by Clover Seed Co. — Distributed in North America by Sakata Seed Corp.

AAS Edible Winner — National Winner

Pepper ‘Quickfire’ F1

Mighty, strong, hot and quick! What more might one want in a hot Thai type pepper? ‘Quickfire’ peppers produce plenty of hot delicious fruits on a compact, sturdy plant that is perfect for container gardening. No staking is required. This pepper has tremendous ornamental value but was bred for its taste and yield. Culinary gardeners will definitely want to give this gem a try in their Thai and other Southeast Asian dishes where a little heat and kick give the meal some quick fire!

Bred by Tozer Seeds Inc.  — https://www.tozerseeds.com/

AAS Ornamental from Seed Winner — Regional Winner: Southeast, Mountain/Southwest

Torenia ‘Summery Love’ Pure White F1

‘Summery Love’ Pure White is a new torenia variety that wowed the judges for its pure white coloration that sported larger blooms than the comparisons. This variety bloomed consistently over a long, wet, hot and humid summer and showed better vigor and health than other similar varieties that are currently available. “This [is a variety that] should be used in mass plantings for a great showing!” stated one judge. At only 8 inches tall, ‘Summery Love’ maintains a compact plant over the season but has more branches and more flowers for a durable show of pure white color.

Bred by Known-You Seed America Corp.  — knownyouseed.com

AAS Non-Seed Ornamental Winner — National Winner

Verbena ‘Beats’ Purple+White

Verbena ‘Beats’ is an incredible new series of verbena that is an incredible plant that performs all summer long. The AAS Judges raved about how early to flower Purple+White was, making it a pollinator magnet all season long. The unique purple and white bicolor blooms maintain a nice, attention-getting pattern and thrives even during severe heat stress. A bonus is how Verbena ‘Beats’ Purple+White is resistant to powdery mildew making it easier to grow and maintain for gardeners of all levels of experience.

Bred by Selecta One — www.selectaonenorthamerica.com

AAS Ornamental from Seed Winner — National Winner

Verbena bonariensis ‘Vanity’

It’s not every day we see a new variety of a classic cottage garden plant but ‘Vanity’ is one to wow! Not only does this type of verbena create a pollinator paradise in your garden, but also the compact habit makes it sturdier and easier to maintain. Deep blue/purple flowers are 1-1.5 inches across and continue to attract butterflies day in and day out. ‘Vanity’ prides itself on performing well in hot dry conditions  while remaining a showy garden plant. Once you try Vanity, you will feel the same as the AAS judge who stated: “This entry was my favorite in all of this season’s entries!”

Bred by Van Hemert Seeds — https://www.vanhemertseeds.com/

AAS Ornamental from Seed Winner — Regional Winner – Northeast, West /Northwest

Zinnia ‘Queeny’ Lemon Peach

Zinnia ‘Queeny’ Lemon Peach is an easy-to-grow annual with vigorous, healthy plants covered with stunning 2-4-inch blooms. The lemon-yellow bloom color with dark peach center is consistent across multiple plants, plus it’s a perfect height to use as a cut flower if you want to bring the beauty indoors. As the blooms age, they have a reverse fading habit that presents beautiful color shades that start as a bright lemon yellow, moving to a buff or light coral color. Another bonus is that the plants continue to bloom all summer without deadheading and stand up well in summer heat. This is sure to be a new member of your favorite garden royalty!

Bred by Hugo Dittmar

Distributed by Floragran B.V.  — https://www.floragran.com/